Adam Koepka described the moment when he beat Bryson DeChambeau in the “The Match” as being “emotional” and “torturous.” The 23-year-old paired up with the Masters champion Patrick Reed to face each other in the televised duel last night. Reed and Koepka took part in last year’s Ryder Cup.
This time round, Koepka said, Reed took his cue from DeChambeau, the winner of eight PGA Tour events and another Masters win in April. “Patrick was very, very similar. I looked at the game plan, I saw Bryson used his length to cover the grounds and he kept hitting shots in places I didn’t like on Sunday afternoon,” Koepka said, via Golf Channel. “He hit some great shots, but I knew where I needed to hit it. It was a lot more exhausting than last year. It was excruciating.”
Koepka, a 2016 U.S. Open champion, dominated their first-round match-play match on Monday and then cruised to victory on Tuesday when they played 18 holes. DeChambeau found out about his fate last night and didn’t have much to say.
Koepka won five straight holes on Tuesday to wrap up the match. “This is the best part of the game, especially when you get to tee off against someone like Bryson who has played way better than him,” Koepka said. “I just wanted to spank him.”
Last night’s 2-0 shutout victory, Koepka said, was the best he’s ever won in golf.